BICYCLE FRAME USING 3D PRINTED 316SS

I recently collaborated with Saffron Frameworks on a project centred around the design of a 3D-printed custom bike frame. This bespoke frame was designed for a Saffron customer but was also designed with the intent of being a show bike for an ENVE composites event. Every year, ENVE invite a select few frame manufacturers to create a bike, that showcases ENVE's range of components, for their annual 'Grodeo' event in Utah. The event features a public exhibition of the bespoke frames and is a great opportunity for manufacturers to push the boundaries of bike frame design.
 

One of the key benefits of using 3D printing is of course the freedom that it gives you for aesthetics. Using steel, titanium or aluminium to manufacture frames typically comes with weld lines or brazed joints which often limit designs aesthetically, so by using 3D printing, we could achieve an aesthetic more similar to that seen in carbon fibre frames.

 

This frame features a 3D printed headtube and 3D printed dropouts. The headtube offers full internal cable routing from the levers to the outlet for the brake cable. This combined with a fully wireless groupset gives an extremely clean result that allows more focus on the frame shape and paint finish.

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Both the headtube and dropouts were bonded with stainless steel tubes using a plug joint to generate a seamless finish. Whilst this is a technique often used by other bicycle manufacturers, it is rare that tapered, curved tubes are used due to the difficulty in achieving a seamless joint. Despite the difficulty with manufacturing, tapered tubes offer a better aesthetic and we did not want to compromise on appearance with this frame.

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Photos courtesy of Saffron Frameworks and ENVE composites

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